


come and face the strange changes

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: And her daughter gets to know her father and family, But Mr. Brightside does, Doesn't follow the sequels at all, F/M, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Like not even the Force exists in this universe, M/M, Multi, Poe and Finn are a married couple with two kids, Rey dies and boom Ben now has a teenage daughter and twenty-three glowing succulents, So basically, That's a win right?, The Jedi are specially trained agents, rey dies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21971437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Exchange of fire.That's what she'd been told.Her mom... died in a firefight.Her mom died in afirefight?Hermomdied in a firefight.How is that possible?"You'll be taken to the legal custody of your father, Benjamin Bail Organa-Solo, according to the law of guardianship from paragraph number twenty-nine of the Galactic Senate..."
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Ben Solo & Original Child Character(s), Leia Organa/Han Solo, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

"Kira Maul, please report yourself to the principal's office immediately. Kira Maul, please report yourself to the principal's office immediately."

"Oh shit," Kira snuffs out the e-pipe on the ground, grabbing her things.

"What did you do again?" Maria asks with a sigh and starts packing as well.

"I hope it's not because I skipped yesterday."

Her best friend shrugs. "I don't think so. Everyone skipped yesterday."

People in the hallway give them weird looks. To Kira, mostly. She is the one who had been called, after all. And if Maria gets any looks, it's probably because she has her father's hot genes.

One of the stupid jocks, the one who uses too much hair gel for his orange hair, whistles. "Damn, Kiea, did you murder somebody?"

"Kriff off." Both Kira and Maria flip him off.

"Seriously, there's a whole unit of Alderaanian Republic officers," young Hux says. "Doesn't your mom work for Coruscant, not Alderaan?"

Kira furrows her eyebrows. "She does."

"He's making fun of you," Maria glares at Hux. "Like always, he's not serious, right, Tage?"

"Are you calling me a liar, Dameron? After last-"

"No speaking, Hugs. C'mon, Kira, let's go."

To their dismay, there was a whole unit of Alderaanian officers outside the principal's office. Alderaan was the most beautiful place out of all sectors. _Why_ _are_ _they_ _here_ _?_ She frowns when she notices them looking at her quietly. They lead her to the principal. He stands behind his desk, clearly waiting for her, while there are two other people sitting in the seats. One is an older woman, her silver hair elegantly braided on the top of her hair. Kira notices her clothes immediately. She's a senator. Alderaanian. She'd never been interested in politics, but everyone knows Leia Organa-Solo, the Supreme Chancellor.

"Kira, thank gods," the principal lets out a breath full of relief.

The two people study her closely, and she feels uncomfortable under the two pairs of the same, chocolate eyes.

_Did_ _I_ _really_ _kill_ _someone_ _?_ Kira wonders quietly.

"What's wrong?"

Another man enters the office. This time, it's a familiar face, dressed in a Coruscant uniform. A safe one. "Uncle Finn?"

Before she sees he's near to tears, he embraces her in a tight hug. "Peanut. I'm so sorry."

"What- what's wrong?" she repeats her question.

"Your mother was in an unfortunate accident. We're so sorry, Kira. She didn't survive it."

* * *

"What is this nonsense?"

The deputy sent to her office seems impressed but intimidated by the Supreme Chancellor.

Her son, on the other hand, just looks up nonchalantly from his food.

"Supreme Chancellor, Grand Admiral Solo, I am very sorry to interrupt."

"What again?" Leia sighs in defeat and puts down her knife. "Isn't there one single day when nothing happens, so I can have a normal lunch with my son?"

"My name is Kyle Katarn and I am the deputy of the Coruscant Armed Forces Captain. There was an exchange of fire twenty-eight minutes ago in the Jakku sector where four of our officers were killed undercover. One of them was Rey Palpatine."

_Why_ _is he_ _telling_ _us_ _that_ _?_ she frowns in contemplation. She doesn't know the name or the face, according to the holo Katarn shows them. Ben, on the other side, seems to recognize the woman.

"She left a child behind. A fifteen-year-old girl named Kira. According to the Galactic Republic Archive, her DNA matches yours, Grand Admiral. She's your daughter."

A beat of silence.

Her son stares in shock at the holo of the girl.

Leia doesn't know how to truly react. Is that right, or are they only messing up with them?

She looks closely at the girl-- at _Kira_. Her _granddaughter_.

She had thought she'd never have grandchildren. Now, there's one, young beautiful lady, with Ben's eyes and Han's mischievous spark in them. She's smiling in the holo-picture, holding a medal for placing first in a speeder race.

_Speeder_ _race._ For gods' sake, Leia didn't need DNA to know this girl is her granddaughter.

"Grand Admiral, did you know Rey Palpatine? We are still looking into the case if the archive hadn't messed up the files."

Ben is taken aback. After a few seconds, when Leia can see the wheels spinning in his head, he nods. She knows he's choosing between telling the truth or lies.

Finally, he speaks up, his voice quiet. "I did. We- we dated shortly while we were trained under Luke Skywalker. She had a different name back then, like all of us."

_Kriff_. Of course, her son had to date a _Palpatine_. Anakin must be turning in his grave.

"Thank you for the information. Now you have to decide if you want the claim the girl as your own. You have the right, since both of you are citizens of Alderaan. If not, her guardians would become Finn and Poe Dameron."

"Poe Dameron?" Leia asks and she shoots a look at Ben. His eyes are fixed on the ground. "Do you mean Poe Dameron from the fleet?"

"Yes, Poe Dameron from Grand Admiral's fleet. His husband Finn works for the Coruscant Armed Forces. They have a daughter together, and they are financially secured. However, since you are Kira's true blood, you have the right and preference to become her legal guardian in the court, according to the Law of Alderaan."

"How is she a citizen of Alderaan?" Okay, maybe Leia wants to know more than enough.

"Rey Palpatine stated Kira's citizenship in the girl's birth certificate. It was hidden, only able to be revealed if- you know. Just like Han Solo, Qi'ra Maul, born Palpatine, has her origin on Corellia. Corellian law also prefers blood."

Ben's eyebrows quirk up and he blinks a few times. "I guess our families always somehow intervene. Qi'ra was Dad's girlfriend on Corellia. Before they escaped."

Leia rubs her forehead. _Seriously_ _?_

"The universe has funny ways," she says and sets herself on the sofa.

"Grand Admiral, you do deserve to know about your daughter. Yet, in case you don't want her, give us a few hours and you've never met Rey Palpatine-"

"No."

Leia watches as he gets up and stands proud, now watching the holo of his own daughter. Her heart tugs.

"No?" the deputy asks.

"I'm not gonna abandon her."

* * *

Exchange of fire.

That's what she'd been told.

Her mom... died in a firefight.

Her mom died in a _firefight_?

Her _mom_ died in a firefight.

How is that possible?

One of the Alderaanian officers is telling her something.

She doesn't listen. She doesn't hear. She doesn't want to hear.

"And why exactly aren't Poe and I _fit_ to be her guardians?"

She can feel Maria clutching her hand. Uncle Finn is sitting beside her and is angry.

"Because she still has her family, Mr. Dameron."

She's on the verge of tears. Yet she doesn't cry. Why isn't she crying? People in movies always do when something like death of their closest person happens.

"You'll be taken to the legal custody of your father, Benjamin Bail Organa-Solo, according to the law of guardianship from paragraph number twenty-nine of the Galactic Senate. Since you are a citizen of Alderaan, and your grandfather Han Solo and grandmother Qi'ra Maul were born on Corellia, which prefers custody of family instead..."

Custody of family. Grandfather, grandmother. _Father_.

Benjamin Bail Organa-Solo. What a godsdamn joke.

She'd never had a father.

How does happen that the grand admiral of the Galactic Republic fleet is her father?

"How am I not her family when I am Rey's adoptive brother? Poe and I have two kids, I think we can take good care of her."

She keeps her eyes fixed on the floor.

"In this case, blood wins, Mr. Dameron. Also, Chancellor Organa and Admiral Solo are, well _,_ _simply_ _put_ , more capable of protecting the girl."

Both Maria and Finn scoff. She would scoff too.

"Just because they have a lot money doesn't mean they're _capable_."

How did her mom even meet people like the Solos? Aren't they the snobbiest of all of the universe?

"Poe is one of the best pilots in Solo's fleet, _if_ _not the best_ , and you're still _doubting_ us. That's unacceptable. No offense, Chancellor, Admiral, but they don't even know her. They don't know what she likes and hates, they don't know what her favorite subject in school is, they don't know she-"

That's when she finally comes to her senses. She grabs him by his forearm. "Uncle Finn..."

"No, Peanut, we're not leaving you with them."

"It's not worth the fight." _She_ 's not worth the fight.

When did her voice become so weak?

"Kira will be provided and safe, Mr. Dameron. What else would you want for her? She'll be taken the best care she can get. If you'd like to, of course, maybe we could bring a middle ground and you could take her to your place on weekends, maybe on holiday..."

"She doesn't know them! They are strangers to her!"

"We have not yet figured the true circumstances of Rey Palpatine's death, which makes it extremely dangerous for the girl. Again, they are her best shot for safety now."

Shot for safety.

How ironic.

* * *

Never in his life, Ben would have imagined having a kid.

He guesses life has peculiar ways of torturing him and getting his mother what she had always wanted - a grandchild.

Finding out about her would be less painful at different circumstances.

He has no right to say that, he knows. She, _Kira_ , has just lost a mother, a person she was closest to. She has just lost Rey.

_Rey._

Kira looks just like her.

She looks just like the girl that had haunted him through all of his Jedi training years ago.

He can't believe that that girl is dead. It feels like a dull dream.

Rey had been, by Luke Skywalker's own words, one of his most promising Jedi after all.

So how could it be so easy to just... kill her? She was a menace, a force of nature that was not wise to mess with.

"The attack on the four officers was obviously intended," a pathologist informs him, his mother, Finn and Poe Dameron, Katarn, and his own deputy. Kira is away now, currently waiting for them in his mother's office, safely guarded. "We do not yet know the intention. The bodies were burned from the following explosion. We determined the identities only through DNA. I am worried we cannot let you see them."

His mother's forehead wrinkles. It would be not a pleasant sight.

"Suspects?" Ben asks.

"None yet, sir. We found a bullet in one of the bodies during an RT-gen autopsy."

"A bullet?" Finn Dameron asks, disbelief in his voice. "They did not use lasers?"

"I am worried not. The bullet is made of ultrachrome."

" _Ultrachrome_?" Ben shakes his head. "The metal isn't in use since... a long time ago."

"It seems to be altered, Admiral. Almost... home-made."

"Home-made bullets that had been used by _barbarians_ centuries ago, killed four of CAF's best officers?"

"I'm afraid so, sir."

He fists his hands on the desk, calming his breath. The pathologist backs away, in case he gets victimized by Admiral Solo's famous explosive behavior. The menace doesn't come.

"Dismissed," he says instead and everyone except Leia starts leaving. "Dameron."

"Uh, which one?" Poe asks.

"Both of you."

Finn looks at him with a question in his bloodshot eyes.

"I am sorry for your loss. Truly. I know that unlike you, I knew Rey just for a short amount of time."

"It was still a few years. You have the right to grieve as well."

Even if Finn and Ben weren't the friendliest to each other in the Jedi training, Ben feels thankful Kira has him in her life. He nods slightly.

"I don't want to take Kira away from you."

"Then don't," Poe frowns. "Kira belongs with us. We're her family. You don't need to take Kira away."

"I think it's too late to deny us," Leia intervenes in the conversation softly. "It wouldn't be right if you didn't let her decide."

"Did you know that she's my daughter?" Ben asks them instead.

"Yes," Finn tells him. "It was quite obvious and was becoming with each year. Why didn't she tell you? We don't know, but we respected her decision."

_Gods_. Ben has had Poe Dameron under his command for years. He had seen him almost every day and fought battles, more than he can count on his fingers, with him by his side. How was he ever able to look him in the eye?

Ben feels betrayed. Not only by Rey, Poe or whoever else it may concern, by himself as well.

"Just like we respected Rey's decision, we will respect Kira's," Poe's statement gets him a nod from Leia.

"Thank you," she says, laying a hand on top of Poe's, squeezing it with mother's gentleness.

"Um, yeah, so anyway," Poe blinks away the tears that had been forcing their way out, and sniffles. "Mari will help Kira with packing. And uh, I just hope you don't mind her staying with Kira for some time."

"No. You take your time off, both of you."

"We will, sir. You take care of Kira and Mari."

* * *

"So, uh, I got you pajamas, uh, other clothes, holo-charger, cosmetic bag, toothbrush, hairbrush, that's about it..." Mari stops in front of Grand Admiral Solo's own apartment, the unit of Alderaanian officers, that is there only to protect her and Kira, stops simultaneously. With hesitation, she raises a keycard to the door.

Kira nods gratefully at her words and watches the door open.

"Continue," one of the officers, a tall (and scary) one, orders.

Mari glares at him with an unspoken threat.

Solo's apartment is strange. It has more of space than a normal person could even afford, has neutral colors that, compared to her and Mom's apartment, look bland. She wonders if he has a wife or other children. Probably not. There aren't even holo-pictures. Even if he prefers a minimalist lifestyle, his home is rather empty and cold.

Simply put, Kira hates it.

There's a woman waiting for them, standing tall in her uniform, her blond hair cut into the usual style the fleet officials have. The Alderaanian unit (Leia Organa-Solo's own bodyguards) salute at her.

"Ms. Solo," she starts. It takes her aback to be called a Solo. At different circumstances, she'd maybe completely lose her mind that her grandfather is _the_ _Han_ _Solo_ _._

"Let me offer you my condolences at first."

Kira nods. Why are all people acting like they're sorry?

"Second, let me introduce myself. My name is Phasma, I am the captain of Galactic Republic Seventh Fleet, and I am Grand Admiral Solo's deputy. I was tasked with introducing you to this apartment and keeping you safe until the general arrives."

Another nod.

"The whole apartment consists of two parts. Admiral's personal, and then the workspace which holds an office for meetings and other business going on with the fleet. You are not allowed into the second part without permission."

And so it goes. It all looks the same. The most interesting thing Phasma introduces them to is a special caf/tea brewer which has more buttons than possibly needed. She leaves them to settle down in the guest rooms after that, heading to the workspace instead.

Kira curls on the bed.

Her eyes start to sting as she listens to the silence and only hears her own breathing.

There are tears dropping down onto the sheets seconds later.

She closes her eyes and expects her mom to barge into the room to soothe her, cradle her in her arms and hum until she falls asleep.

The realization dawns on her when no one comes.

And even if she has Mari right beside her, Kira has never felt so alone in her life.

* * *

Ben arrives at his apartment very late at night.

He's exhausted after the day. He wishes he'd wake up the next morning and realize it was only a dream, but it wasn't.

He finds Phasma in his workroom, chin in her palm, eyes closed, her breath steady as she sleeps. He shakes her shoulder, and she shoots up.

"Sir? Yes, sir."

Ben gives her a small smile. "Phas, go home. Thanks for watching over them."

"Anytime, Admiral."

He goes to check on them, hoping they'd be truly asleep at one standard hour in the morning.

The door reveal two girls on the bed, backs turned at each other, one fast asleep, the other opening her eyes to see the intruder. Ben's not surprised to see her awake. Neither he or Rey had ever been good sleepers.

"Hi," he says, voice echoing through the room. Had the room had always been so weirdly empty?

She just nods, her eyelids flutter a bit. Kira hugs herself, and he notices that the Dameron girl had stolen the cover for herself.

Right. There should be spare blankets somewhere.

He didn't have guests that often to know where the blankets are. Not like he is home himself that often. Which is going to be changed, if he's about to raise a kid.

He just assumes and goes for the closet immediately, and after a few moments of helpless searching, he finds a green one with a fluffy texture, that is, hopefully, warm enough.

Ben spreads out the blanket and covers Kira with it, tucking her in.

He finds a pair of curious eyes staring at him. "I-"

"Try to get some sleep," he interrupts softly. "We can talk when you feel like it."

He just hopes his parents don't come barging tomorrow just to see her. She needs time, and he fully understands that. 

As Kira nods again, Ben feels satisfied she at least acknowledges him.

"Night."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira meets her grandparents, we also meet Hux, and a tad more mourning!

Rey's funeral takes place two days after.

Ben is there with Han, Leia and Luke, keeping them in a safe distance from Kira.

Finn and Poe chose to bury her on Chandrila, just like her parents, in a grassland by the Silver sea which she had loved.

The next week, Maria leaves the apartment.

Kira doesn't come out of her room. Ben makes her food every morning and usually finds it only half-eaten, but at least she eats something. He arrives back at the apartment every evening. Asks her if she needs something. She shakes her head, and he wishes her good night before going asleep himself. He signs necessary papers about his guardianship with Finn Dameron, and receives all of her legal documents.

At the end of the second week, he can hear her shifting things during night in her room. It makes him sleepless.

Later, he finds that the bed is put in a different position, facing the big window instead of the wall. He can see she needs to remove one of the heavy closets so the room wouldn't be so awkward, yet she doesn't ask him for help. Not yet. She leaves it like that.

The third day of the third week (since when he started counting?), his parents visit. Ben takes a day off to cook lunch for all four of them.

"How are you doing?" Leia asks.

"My head kinda hurts," Ben answers with a shrug. "She's listening to _Mr_ _._ _Brightside_ for the fiftieth time today."

"Now you know how we felt. _Mr_ _._ _Brightside_ is the bane of parents."

He rolls his eyes. "It's a great song, though hearing it all day makes me sick. Um, anyway, can you two set the table?"

His task is to call her. She hasn't eaten in the morning, only she hit the brewer with her fist quite aggressively after it refused to make her tea, so Ben hopes she'd join them for lunch. He knocks on the door, waiting until she stops the music.

"Kira, honey, lunch is ready."

"Okay."

"You hungry?"

To his surprise, the door open in front of him, big brown eyes gawking at him with a clear _duh_.

"Yeah."

It was a success she answers in words now. Even if it's only one word.

He grins. "I want to warn you, though. I invited my parents."

Her eyebrows shoot up.

"If they're too... _much_ , just tell them off."

She snorts quietly at his words.

She's lucky Chewie is on a long holiday on Kashyyk.

Once they're in the kitchen, there's a really long silence before Ben coughs. "Mom, Dad, this is Kira."

Can they stop staring at her? Ben feels offended _for_ her.

Finally, Han offers her his hand. "Hey, kid. I'm-"

There's a spark in her eyes. "Han Solo. You made the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs, I _know_."

He looks quite impressed. Ben is too. She's interested in flying, obviously. She didn't say 'the war hero'. Also, she said more words in one sentence than in the whole month.

"I intended to say I'm your grandfather, but that works for me as well, I guess. How do you-"

"It's a known _fact_. The _Millennium_ _Falcon_ is _the only_ Corellian YT-1300f light freighter that not just to broke the record, but to _ever_ make it _out_ of the Kessel Run."

Han whistles quietly, then nudges Ben with his elbow. His son only frowns.

"I like you, kid," Han smirks and squeezes her shoulder with affection. "Seems you're the only one in this family who has some _appreciation_. And also knows your stuff. A true Solo, aren't you? I heard you race on speeders?"

Leia seems quite disappointed the girl hadn't even looked at her. Ben shrugs as he helps her put food on plates. "Don't worry. She hasn't spoken to me the number of words she's just said to Dad."

"Tell me, Ben," she says when they both turn to see them. "What is it that Han has and we don't?"

If he's being honest, he has no idea.

"She ignores me."

Ben almost snorts at Leia's words. "She obviously doesn't want another woman figure in her life. Not yet."

"But I'm her grandmother-"

"And I'm her _father_. She needs time. I'm sure she'll come around once she heals. You're also the Supreme Chancellor, you think she knows what to speak with you about? I myself barely knew when I was her age." He shrugs. "With Dad, she knows her stuff. I'm glad she's talking. Even with the Damerons, she barely did."

Leia concentrates on Kira, curious eyes studying her every move. Ben knows she does the thing every time she wants someone's attention. His mother's opponents in politics are nervous under her eyes, and hells, Ben is too from time to time. When he was a teenager, and she looked at him like that, adding a very loud _Benjamin Bail Organa_ _Solo_ , you bet he was in trouble.

"Don't do that," he says. "It's scary."

Finally, his mother stops and takes two plates into her hands and follows him back to the dining room. 

"I've never flown a ship by myself," they can hear Kira say. "Mom didn't let me yet."

"Really? That's a pity. If you want, I can teach you."

"Would you let me pilot the Falcon?"

Han folds his arm on his chest, leaning into the chair.

" _Maybe_."

Ben narrows his eyes at his father. _Maybe_ he'd like to teach Kira herself. He can't help it but feel jealous that Han would take this opportunity from him.

He sets the plate for him, then hands Kira hers. "Redsprouts version for you."

"Thank you."

"You don't eat meat?" Leia asks her.

"Not really," she shrugs, murdering a Naboo pear with passive aggression. "Mom..." she pauses for a second, then coughs, "wasn't keen on it."

Ben nods. "I figured."

He _did_ eat most of the meat from Rey's portion back in the academy, after all.

Kira flashes him a look of appreciation before she digs into her food. Ben recognizes the way she eats, she had picked up a lot of habits from Rey. Even eating like left-handed, though she is right-handed. He wonders what she has from him. Probably not a lot.

The rest of their mealtime is bathed in silence, only the clicking of cutlery can be heard. Ben's used to quiet during eating, Kira is obviously not. She shifts awkwardly every other second next to him, and avoids Leia's eyes by staring at her food, sometimes at Han. His dad tries to crack a joke though, and no one laughs, he returns to eating rather disappointed.

Later in the evening, he is surprised to see her standing on his office's doorsill.

"Hey," Ben furrows his eyebrows. The holo in front of him disappears.

"Hi," she responds and keeps her eyes on everything else but him.

"Everything alright?"

"I want to go to school tomorrow," Kira says, determined, now raising her chin.

"Okay."

"Okay," she repeats after him, nods her head, turns around, and is probably ready to run away.

When she stops and takes a step back into the office instead, Ben is more than confused.

She tugs at her hoodie, looking down before blurting out: "Would-you-give-me-a-lift-there?"

Ben's processing takes a while.

"Forget it, it's stupid," Kira shakes her head. Her cheeks are red from embarrassment, though there's no reason to be. "You probably need to be at work before I have my first class."

"It's not stupid, Kira. I'll take you there, no problem. Um, when do you start?"

"Standard eight-thirty."

"Yeah, that's fine. I have some check-ups and singing protocols for the fleet tomorrow anyway, which is... boring," Ben scratches the back of his head. "I can pick you up too, if you want."

"If you don't mind, could we stop at the old apartment? I'd like to take some things."

"Of course."

She takes a step back, rubbing her hands together, nodding. "Okay. Um, yeah, thanks. Goodnight."

"Night."

* * *

"Solo."

"Hux."

"Wouldn't expect you here," Commander Hux leans against Admiral's posh landspeeder that's parked in front of her school. Everyone is trying to get home, but she didn't expect Tage's dad would be here. He doesn't pick him up often. "I thought you'd be on Crait now."

"Didn't want to leave Kira alone. So I sent Amilyn instead."

Hux lets out a scoff.

Kira, standing with Mari, Joaqui and Tage a few feet away from them, swallows. Commander Hux is known for not being nice. Sometimes even Tage wondered how his dad got into such a position.

"Gods, your dad's a kriffass, Tage." Mari shakes her head.

"Tell me something I don't know," he says, with a roll of his eyes.

"What's a kriffass?" Joaqui asks his older sister.

"A word for adults."

"Dad and Papá are kriffasses?"

Mari groans. "That's _not_ how I meant it."

Tage turns at Kira, now more serious. "How are you doing?"

"Can't be worse anymore, I guess."

"How's your dad?"

She shrugs.

"He's always so damn scary."

"He's not," Kira says back to Tage, a little more aggressive than she intended. Why is she defending him anyway? He's supposed to be the asshole who left her mom. But again, he did not know.

Mari nods, her eyes on Admiral Solo. "He's not scary. He's just... tall."

"Really tall." Joa adds.

"I heard what's happened to Palpatine," Hux offers him an e-pipe. Her father's face wrinkles in disgust and he shakes his head in a clear _no_. "Any new leads on her case?"

"I don't know, the CAFs took it. Though, probably none when nothing's happening."

"Maybe it's sabotaged. Wouldn't be the first time."

Admiral Solo shrugs.

Hux glances towards the kids. "I can't believe you had the balls to knock up Rey _kriffing_ Palpatine back in the academy. Or, actually, you did. But _Palpatine_ , Benny boy? You must have been on death sticks back then. Your grandfather would disapprove."

Kira watches as her father purses his lips and fists his hands.

"That's highly offensive, Hux. You're insulting an officer with his rank higher than you," Solo takes the e-pipe out of his hands and throws it on the ground, stepping on it. "Remember your place." He hisses before he turns at the teens.

"Kira! Let's go. Damerons, want to take home?"

The journey there is longer than she remembered.

Her guts are clenching with anxiety, and she finds herself staring at her shaking hand.

She thought it'd be much easier to step into the old apartment now.

She was wrong.

Only the smell itself made her chin quiver as she tries to fight the following tears. It surrounded her before she even came in, and gave her false hope that she'd find her on the sofa, watching one of her favorite space-operas.

She finds emptiness surrounding the apartment instead, slowly but surely eating her alive, and Kira knows she doesn't want to return here after this ever again.

It takes her minutes of wiping tears to pull herself together.

_Gods_ _, she_ _did_ _think_ _it'd_ _be_ _easier_ _. She_ _stopped_ _crying_ _two_ _weeks_ _ago_ _. She_ _should_ _be_ _better_ _than_ _that. Her_ _mom_ _wouldn't_ _want_ _that._

With blurry vision, she grabs the suitcase from her room and throws in there all of the holographs that she finds. Packs the rest of her clothes and school holotexts, as well as her mom's spinebarrels and nightblossoms from the veranda.

She sends the suitcase to the landspeeder with a kick, then faces the door to her mom's bedroom.

 _Breathe_ _._ Kira reminds herself. _In and_ _out_ _. In and_ _out_ _._

Blinds are blocking the light from intruding the room.

The desk was left in its messy state. The twenty-three luminescent succulents are still in the glass balls above it. She shortly wonders how they didn't die out yet - they need to be watered twice a day. She guesses they're fighters, just like her mom.

The bed is made up. The three bright orange pillows still lie there. So is Rey's PJs, hidden under them.

She traces her fingers on the soft fabric, so carefully like she's worried it'd disappear under her hands.

Kira grasps it, foot reaching to slide aside the closet door.

Her eyes examine her mother's untouched clothes and space beneath them.

With a soft sigh, she hugs the pajamas and curls down in the closet before closing the door behind her, letting the darkness swallow her.

* * *

Ben knows he promised to wait here, in the garage.

After dozens of minutes of staring at a wall, he climbs out of his speeder, only to look around. The garage definitely served as Rey's mindspace over the years. Even back in the academy, when something was on her mind, she sat in Luke's workshop for hours and helped him repair broken things.

He finds himself staring at one of the two speeders.

A pair of golden dice grabs his attention.

He's sure his heart skipped a beat.

_"Ben, are you_ _serious_ _?"_

It's like a kick in the gut.

She kept it. This whole time.

Ben takes a deep breath before he reaches for the dice. It's cold between his fingers, much different than her warm touch when he gave it to her. He grasps it so hard that his knuckles go white, and lowers onto the ground.

"You found my dice."

Kira's voice startles him. His daughter, eyes blood-shot, nose red, doesn't look at him. She focuses on the dice.

"Mom gave it to me before my first race," she says, breaking the silence. "For good luck."

Ben blinks to avoid tears.

Kira takes brave steps, settling at his side.

"Did it bring you any?"

"Always."

It brings him to a verge of a smile.

Rey has, even after all those disagreements they had, given their daughter something of him.

"Sometimes, she spent hours looking at it. I had the suspicion it had to do something with my father," she whispers. "You can take it back if you want."

He shakes his head, pressing it into her palm. She stares at it before she takes his hand with hesitation, trapping the dice between their palms.

Kira rests her head against her shoulder, sniffling. "I miss her."

"I know, kid," Ben kisses her in the hair. "I know."

He does, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, I forgot to mention - no one in this story takes Hux's bs seriously lol

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> So yeah, now this thing is out, and I don't even know why I wrote this lol. Anyways, if you are all the way down here, thank you so much for reading.  
> Don't hesitate to leave comments and kudos!


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